Nilandhoo MP Abdul Muhsin Hameed has joined the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) amid promises of more development ahead of the September 9 presidential election.
Hameed was elected to the parliament as an independent member. He joined the ruling party during an ongoing two-day visit to the constituency by president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
He praised the government for its “fair policy in developing islands” before officially signing to the MDP at a ceremony in Nilandhoo island.
I thank the government for prioritizing this island, which has the second lowest population in the country, under the policy to develop all islands equally.
At the ceremony, Solih announced plans to reclaim the lagoon of Nilandhoo and build two resorts in order to bring more development to the island.
Following Hameed’s decision to join MDP, the ruling party now has 55 MPs in the parliament.
The party held a supermajority until recently when 12 MPs quit over the expulsion of an MP.
The former MPs are now working to form the opposition Democrats party led by former president and parliament speaker Mohamed Nasheed.
Nasheed remains the president of MDP and has not commented on the efforts by his supporters to form a new party.
